Printing attachment for glove turning machines



Dec. 21, 1965 R; T. CRUMBLISS 3,224,365

PRINTING ATTACHMENT FOR GLOVE TURNING MACHINES Filed Jan. 15, 1964 4Sheets-Sheet 1 HVVENTOR. ROBERT T. CRUMBLISS ATTORNEY Dec. 21, 1965 R.T. cRuMBLlss 3,224,365

PRINTING ATTACHMENT FOR GLOVE TURNING MACHINES Filed Jan. 15, 1964 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2.

INVENTOR. ROBERT T. CRUMBLISS WITNEISS 5%444 BY gu J07 ATTORNEY 1955 R.T. cR ub AB uss 3,224,365

PRINTING ATTACHMENT FOR GLOVE TURNING MACHINES Filed Jan.l3, 19644Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. 4.

INVENTOR.

ROBERT T. CRUMBLISS WI TNESS A T TORNE Y Dec. 21, 1965 R. T. CRUMBLISSPRINTING ATTACHMENT FOR GLOVE TURNING MACHINES Filed Jan. 15, 1964 4Sheets-Sheet 4 1 I l II.

III II INVENTOR. ROBERT T. CRUMBLISS BY fl/o ATTORNEY United StatesPatent 3,224,365 PRINTING ATTACHMENT FOR GLOVE TURNING MACHINES RobertT. Crumbliss, Chattanooga, Tenn., 'asslgnor to The Singer Company, NewYork, N .Y., acorporation of New J erse Filed Jan. 13, 1964, Ser. No.337,487 7 Claims. (Cl. 101-43) The present invention relates to aprinting attachment for a glove turning machine and more particularly tosuch an attachment Which will automatically print only on selectedgloves.

In the manufacture of gloves, it is desired to prlnt on the glovevarious indicia, for example, trademarks and style and sizedesignations. The practice has been to print on only one face of oneglove of each pair, such as on the back of the right hand glove, oralternatively, to print on both gloves of each pair. Heretofore, the prnting has usually been performed as a separate operation after the glovehas been completed. The device 111 accordance with this invention isadapted to perform the printing operation automatically as a part of thenormal cycle of operation of a glove turning and pressmg machine such asdisclosed in the United States patent of Beasley, No. 2,838,216, thatis, a machine which inverts and presses a glove that, in the normalmanner, has been sewed inside-out. The device in accordance with thisinvention is also adapted to print automatically either or both theright hand and left hand gloves.

Accordingly, the objects of this invention are to provide a printingattachment, including a control mechanism therefor, which is adapted tobe associated with a glove turning machine and to be actuatedautomatically during the cycling of such machine to print in the desiredfashion, all without adverse effect upon or interference with thecycling of the machine, and at the same time, to provide such asattachment which is simple and economical and yet is efficient, reliableand trouble-free in operation.

Having in mind the above and other objects that will be evident from anunderstanding of this disclosure, the invention comprises the devices,combinations and arrangements of parts as illustrated in the presentlypreferred embodimentof the invention which is hereinafter set forth insuch detail as to enable those skilled in the art readily to understandthe function, operation, construction and advantages of it when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a glove turning machine providedwith a printing attachment in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the machine of FIG. 1 with the top cover plateremoved.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the machine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the control switches for theprinter.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of the controls the printing attachment.

The invention is herein illustrated and described as embodied in a gloveturning machine similar to that forming the subject matter of the abovenoted Beasley patent to which reference is made for a more completedescription of the structure and operation of the machine, the machinebeing herein disclosed only insofar as is necessary for an understandingof this invention.

The illustrated glove turning machine comprises a selfsupportinghousing 1. Journaled in the front and rear walls of the housing 1 at theone end thereof is a shaft 2 to which intermittent quarter-tum rotationis imparted by a Geneva wheel 3 secured therein and cooperating with acontinuously rotated drive pin 4 on the output shaft of a gear reductionunit 5 supported on a bracket 6 within the housing 1. Rotation isimparted to the unit 5 by a motor 7 mounted on the rear wall of thehousing 1 and having a pulley 8 on the drive shaft thereof that isconnected by a belt 9 with a pulley 10 on the input shaft of the unit 5.

At the front of the machine, there is mounted on and rotatable with theshaft 2 a glove form, generally indicated at 11. The glove formcomprises a hub 12 from which extend four hand elements 13 eachconsisting of four finger tubes 14 and a pair of thumb tubes 15 disposedupon opposite sides of the finger tubes and which adapt the hand elementfor receiving both right and left hand gloves. The hand elements aredisposed at ninetydegree intervals. In the normal rest positions of theform 11 during the idle motions of the Geneva drive, one of the handelements 13 is disposed vertically in a loading position where anoperator can conveniently insert therein a glove that is inside-out. Theform 11 is then advanced counterclockwise so that the different handelements 13 are brought successively to the loading position and theindividual hand elements are advanced successively to the idle position(to the left in FIG. 1), to the tucking position (to the bottom in FIG.1), to the glove transfer position (to the right in FIG. 1), and back tothe loading position.

In the tucking position, the tips of the fingers and thumb of the gloveare pushed into the ends of the respective tubes 14 and 15 by a tuckingdevice 16 which comprises four finger rods 17 and a pair of thumb rods18 that are mounted on a slide 19 that is adapted to be reciprocatedvertically by means (not shown) connecting the same to the output shaftof the gear reduction unit 5.

At .theiglove transfer position, a glove on the hand element 13 isremoved therefrom by a glove transfer it will be right-side-out. As theclamps 20 are advanced, they carry the glove into one of the handelements 21 of a glove heating form 22 which, like the gloce turningform 13, includes four such hand elements disposed at ninety degreeintervals. The glove heating form 22 is mounted on a shaft 23 journaledtransversely of the machine and is rotated clockwise in quarter-turnincrements by a Geneva wheel 24 that cooperates with a continuouslyrotated drive pin 25 on the output shaft of a gear reduction unit 26.The unit 26 is in turn driven by the pulley 10 through a drive shaft 27.

To provide for reciprocation of the clamps 20, they are mounted on aslide 28 having a rack 29 on the lower edge thereof, which rack mesheswith a gear 30 on a shaft 31 journaled transversely of the housing 1.Oscillation is imparted to the shaft 31 by a rack 32 which cooperateswith a gear 33 on the shaft 31 and which is connected to a crank arm 34on the output shaft of the reduction unit 26. As the slide 28 isreciprocated, the clamps 20 are opened and closed by a cam follower 35connected to each of the clamps to operate them simultaneously andcooperating with the cam surfaces 36 and 37 of a cam plate 38.

3 tion (to the bottom in FIG. 1) and back to the glove transferposition. In the glove stripping position, the gloves are removed fromthe hand elements 21 by the stripping mechanism 39.

The glove is adapted to be printed while at rest during the idle periodof the Geneva wheel 24 in the first idle position, that is, when it isat the top in FIG. 1. For printing the glove, there is a printer 40which may be of any suitable conventional commercially-available typeand which, in the illustrated form includes a printing head 41 havingtype 42 on the face thereof. The head 41 is advanced by a pneumaticcylinder 43 and is automatically retracted. The printer 40 is mountedupon the top of the housing 1 behind the hand element 21 in the printingposition so that when the head 41 is advanced the type 42 is impressedagainst the glove on the hand element 21, the type being disposed forexample within the area defined by the dotted line 44 in FIG. 1. Airunder pressure is supplied through a line 45 to the cylinder 43 toadvance the same, the air supply being controlled for example, by asolenoid actuated valve 46 (FIG. The type 42 is inked by inking rollers46 carried by an arm 47 mounted upon a shaft 48 which is actuated tomove the inking rollers across the type 42 as well as into contact withan ink supply roller 49 and across an ink dispersing surface 50.

The controls for actuating the printing 40 to impart a printing strokethereto include an arm 51 carried by a bracket 52 secured to the housing1 and adapted to wipe against the inner or right hand thumb tube 15 ofthe hand elements 13 at the end of the first ninety degrees of rotationof the glove turning form 11 from the loading position, that is, at whathas heretofore been its idle position and which is, with the illustratedmachine, the glove sensing position. There is also provided an arm 53carried by the bracket 52, which arm is adapted to wipe against one ofthe finger tubes 14 of the hand element 13 on the glove sensingposition. For a purpose that is hereinafter explained, the arm 53 isdisposed to engage the finger tube 14 before the arm 51 engages thethumb tube 15.

In addition to the contacts 51 and 53, the control mechanism for theprinter 40 includes a plurality of switches supported on a verticalmounting plate 54 within the housing 1 at the rear corner thereof. Theswitches include four actuating switches and four selector switcheswhich are herein referred to generally by the reference numerals 55 and56 respectively and individually (FIGS. 4 and 5) by the referencenumerals 55a, 55b, 55c, and 55d, and 56a, 56b, 56c, and 56a. Theswitches 55 and 56 are arranged with one of the selector switches 56 andone of the actuating switches 55 disposed at each ninety degree positionand are adapted to be actuated substantially simultaneously by a cam 57mounted on a shaft 58 that is journaled in the plate 54 and in the rearwall of the housing 1 and is driven in timed relation to the actuationof the machine by a chain 59 entrained about a sprocket 60 on the shaft58 and a sprocket 61 on the shaft 2. There is also provided a furtherswitch 62 mounted on the rear wall of the housing 1 and adapted to beactuated by the rack 32 at the end of the advance stroke of the glovetransfer clamps 20. A final switch 63 (FIG. 5) is associated with theprinter 40 and is adapted to be actuated at the end of the printingstroke.

With reference to FIG. 5, there are in the control circuit four relaysherein referred to generally by the numeral 64 and individually (FIG. 5)by the numerals 64a, 64b, 64c, and 64d. Each of the relays 64 includecontacts 65 which are opened by off-coils 66 and are closed by on-coils67. The relays 64 are all latching type relays so that when the on-coil67 is energized, the contacts 65 will remain closed until the off-coil66 is energized. Power for the control circuit is supplied from a normalline voltage power source 68 through a transformer 69, one side of whichis grounded and the other side of which is connected by a common lead 70with one side of both the off-coil 66 and on-coil 67 of each of therelays 64. The opposite side of each of the off-coils 66 is connected byindividual leads 71 to one side of contacts 72 of the respectivenormally open actuating switches 55, which are all double pole switches.The opposite sides of the contacts 72 are connected by a common lead 73with one side of the normally open switch 63 associated with the printer40, the other side of the switch 63 being grounded. Thus, when theswitch 63 is closed at the end of the printing or advance stroke of theprinter 40, and with the contacts 72 of any one of the switches 55closed, the oif-coil 66 of the relay 64 associated therewith isenergized to open the contacts 65 which then remain open until theon-coil 67 is energized.

The sides of the on-coils 67 of the relays 64 opposite from the powerlead 7 0 are connected by individual leads 74 to one of the sides of theswitches 56, the opposite sides of which are connected by a common lead75 with one Side of a normally closed contact 76 of a relay 77. Theopposite side of the contact 76 is connected by a lead 78 to the arm 51which is adapted to engage the thumb tube 15 of a hand element 13, whichis grounded through the housing 1. The coil 79 of the relay 77 isconnected at one side to the power lead 70 and to the other side by alead 80 to the arm 53 which engages the finger tubes 14 of the handelement 13. Thus, when any one of the switches 56 is closed, and withthe contacts 76 of the relay 77 closed, the on-coil 67 of the respectiverelay 64 is energized to close the contacts 65 thereof, which contactsthen remain closed until the off-coil 66 of that relay is energized. Ifthe arm 53 engages a finger tube 14 and is thus grounded, the coil 79 ofthe relay 77 is energized to open the contacts 76 so that the oncoil 67cannot be energized and the contacts 65 will remain open.

The contacts 65 of the relays 64 are each connected at one side by acommon lead 81 to the line voltage power source 68, and at the otherside are connected by individual leads 82 to one side of the second setof contacts 83 of the switches 55. The other side of the contacts 83 areconnected by a common lead 84 with one side of switch 62 associated withthe rack 32 for actuating the glove transfer clamps 20, the oppositeside of the switch 62 being connected by a lead 85 to the one side ofthe printer actuating solenoid 46 which is connected at the other sideby a lead 86 to the line voltage power source 68. Thus, when thecontacts 65 of any one of the relays 64 are closed, and the contacts 83of the switch 55 associated with that relay are also closed, and theswitch 62 is closed, the solenoid 46 is energized to impart a printingstroke to the printer 40.

The operation of the device is as follows. The gloves, which areinside-out, are placed by the operator on the hand element 13 that is inthe loading position, which is at the top in FIG. 1. On the firstquarter-turn of the shaft 2, the loaded hand element 13 is movedcounterclockwise to the sensing position, to the left in FIG. 1. At thesame time, another hand element 13 is moved to the loading position.Upon subsequent cycles of the machine, the hand elements 13 are movedsuccessively to the sensing position, the tucking position, the transferposition, and back to the loading position. At the transfer position,the glove is removed from the hand element 13 and transferred to thehand element 21, being inverted in the process. The hand element 21 isthen moved clockwise upon subsequent cycles of the machine to theprinting position, the idle position, the glove stripping position, andback to the transfer position. Thus, a glove placed on a hand element 13at the loading position, appears four cycles later on a hand element 21at the print- 1ng position.

Each of the relays 64 correspond to one of the hand elements 13 and allof them operate in the same manner. Therefore, for convenience, theoperation of only one of the relays 64 is hereinafter described.

Assuming that the machine is to print right hand gloves only, the arm 51is arranged as shown to engage the thumb tube 15 which is used with lefthand gloves. In the final movement of the hand element 13 as it movesinto the sensing position, the arm 51 engages the tube 15 so that oneside of the switch 56 is connected to ground through the contacts 76 ofrelay 77, the arm 51 and the thumb tube 15. The cam 57, which rotates intimed relation to the rotation of the shaft-2, closes the switch 56thereby energizing the on-coil 67 of the relay 64. The contacts 65 ofthe relay 64 are thus closed and power from the line voltage powersource 68 is applied to one side of the contacts 83 of the switch 55.The switch 55 remains open so the printer 40 is not actuated at thistime. Three cycles later, this glove is then at the printing position onthe hand form 21. At this time, when the cam 57 closes the switch 56 forsetting the relay 64 for the glove in the sensing position, it alsocloses the switch 55 associated with the glove in the printing position.The circuit from the line voltage power source 68 is then completedthrough the contacts 65 of the relay 64 and the contacts 83 of theswitch 55. Subsequently, upon completion of the advance stroke of therack 32, which is substantially at the mid point of the dwell interval,the switch 62 is closed to energize the solenoid 46 and impart aprinting stroke to the printer 40.

The relay 64 is cleared at the end of the printing stroke by the switch63 which is closed to energize the oif-coil 66 of the relay 64 throughthe contacts 72 of the switch 55, thereby opening the contacts 65. Theprinter 40 then automatically returns to its rest position.

If a left-hand glove had been in the hand element 13 at the sensingposition, the arm 51 would have been electrically insulated from thethumb tube 15, and the on-coil 67 of the relay 64 would not have beenenergized. Thus, the contacts 65 of the relay 64 would have remainedopen and the printer 40 would not have been actuated when the switch 55was subsequently closed by the cam 57.

The printer 40 also is not actuated when there is no glove present onthe hand element 21 at the printing position. For this purpose, the arm53 is adapted to engage the finger tubes 14 before the arm 51 engagesthe thumb tube 15. If there is a glove present, the arm 53 iselectrically insulated from the tube 14 and the circuit will operate asabove described. However, if there is no glove present, the arm 53contacts the tube 14, thereby energizing the coil 79 of relay 77 to openthe contacts 76, thereby opening the circuit of the on-coil 67 of relay64 so that when the arm 51 engages the thumb tube 15 and the switch 56is subsequently closed by the cam 57, the on-coil 67 is not energizedand the contacts 65 remain open.

It will be obvious that the machine can be readily adapted for printingleft hand gloves as well as right hand gloves by moving the printer 40to the other side of the hand elements 21 and by moving the arm 51 tosense the right hand thumb tube 15. The machine can also readily beprovided with a second printer 40 together with duplicate controlcircuits similar to the above for printing both right hand and left handgloves.

Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggestthemselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understoodthat the present disclosure relates to a preferred embodiment of myinvention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to beconstrued as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications whichdo not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to beincluded within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus set forth the nature is claimed herein is:

1. In a glove turning machine, a first hand element and means for movingthe same from a loading position wherein it is adapted to receive aglove to a transfer of the invention, what position, a second handelement and means for moving the same from a transfer position opposedto the transfer position of said first hand element to a printingposition and to a glove unloading position, a transfer mechanism forremoving a glove from said first hand element in the transfer positionand transferring it onto said second hand element and for inverting thesame as it is transferred, a printer for printing on a glove on thesecond hand element in the printing position, and actuating means forsaid printer to impart a printing stroke thereto and means forcontrolling said actuating means comprising a relay, sensing means forelectrically engaging said first hand element to determine whether aglove of a selected hand is on the same and for closing said relay inresponse thereto, and means in series with said relay and said actuatingmeans for actuating said printer when the glove on said first handelement at the time of engagement by said sensing means is subsequentlyin printing position on the second hand element.

2. In a glove turning machine in accordance with claim 1 in which saidlast mentioned means comprises switch means adapted to be engaged by anelement movable in timed relation with said first and second handelements.

3. In a glove turning machine in accordance with claim 1 in which saidrelay includes coil means adapted to be energized to open and to closethe contacts thereof, said means for closing said relay is actuated intimed relation to the actuation of said first hand element and isdisposed electrically in series with said sensing means and said meansfor actuating said printer is actuated in timed relation to theactuation of said second hand element, and in which there is providedmeans for opening the contacts of said relay after actuation of saidprinter.

4. In a glove turning machine in accordance with claim 1 in which saidsensing means is adapted to determine whether no glove is present onsaid first hand element.

5. In a glove turning machine, a first hand element and means for movingthe same from a loading position wherein it is adapted to receive aglove to a transfer position, a second hand element and means for movingthe same from a transfer position opposed to the transfer posi tion ofsaid first hand element to a printing position and to a glove unloadingposition, a transfer mechanism for removing a glove from said first handelement in the transfer position and transferring it onto said secondhand element and for inverting the same as it is transferred, a printerfor printing on a glove on the second hand element in the printingposition, and means for actuating said printer to impart a printingstroke thereto when a glove of a selected hand is on said second handelement at the printing position comprising a relay including contactsand coil means for opening and closing the contacts, sensing means forelectrically engaging said first hand element and for energizing saidcoil means to close the contacts of said relay in response to thepresence of a glove of a selected hand in a sensing position on saidfirst hand 'element, and means in series with the contacts of said relayfor actuating said printer when the glove on said first hand element atthe time of engagement by said sensing means is subsequently in printingposition on the second hand element.

6. In a glove turning machine, a plurality of first hand elements andmeans for moving the same in succession from a loading position whereinthey are adapted to receive gloves to a transfer position, a pluralityof second hand elements and means for moving the same in succession froma transfer position opposed to the transfer position of said first handelement to a printing position and to a glove unloading position, atransfer mechanism for removing a glove from a first hand element in thetransfer position and transferring it onto a second hand element and forinverting the same as it is transferred, a printer for printing on aglove on a second hand element in the printing position, and actuatingmeans for said printer to impart a printing stroke thereto and means forcontrolling said actuating means comprising a plurality of relayscorresponding to the number of the first hand elements, sensing meansfor electrically engaging each of the first hand elements in successionto determine whether a glove of a selected hand is on the same and forclosing a respective one of said relays in response thereto, and meansin series with said relays for actuating said printer when the glove ona first hand element at the time of engagement by said sensing means issubsequently in printing position on a second hand element.

7. A control mechanism for actuating a printer in timed relation to theoperation of a glove turning machine for printing gloves on the handelements of the machine, comprising, a switch actuating element adaptedto be mounted on the machine and to move in timed relation with themovement of the hand elements, a plurality of switches corresponding innumber to the number of hand elements and adapted to be engagedindividually by said switch actuating element when the respective handelement moves into a selected position, a plurality of relay meanscorresponding in number to the number of switches, means electricallyconnecting each of said relay means in series with one of said switches,sensing means adapted to engage the hand elements electrically andelectrically connected to each of said relay means through individualones of said switches, whereby each of said relay means will be closedwhen the respective one of said switches is closed by the switchactuating element, and second plurality of switches electricallyconnected individually in series with the contacts of said relay meansand adapted to be closed by said switch actuating element when therespective hand element moves into a selected position subsequent to theposition wherein the first switch associated with the respective relaywas closed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,517,207 11/1924Gallagher 10144 1,830,638 11/1931 Butz 101-43 2,511,456 6/ 1950Boldizzoni 22357 X 2,838,216 6/ 1958 Beasley 223--57 3,010,623 11/1961Parrish et a1. 22357 X WILLIAM B. PENN, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A GLOVE TURNING MACHINE, A FIRST HAND ELEMENT AND MEANS FOR MOVINGTHE SAME FROM A LOADING POSITION WHEREIN IT IS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AGLOVE TO A TRANSFER POSITION, A SECOND HAND ELEMENT AND MEANS FOR MOVINGTHE SAME FROM A TRANSFER POSITION OPPOSED TO THE TRANSFER POSITION OFSAID FIRST HAND ELEMENT TO A PRINTING POSITION AND TO A GLOVE UNLOADINGPOSITION, A TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR REMOVING A GLOVE FROM SAID FIRST HANDELEMENT IN THE TRANSFER POSITION AND TRANSFERRING IT ONTO SAID SECONDHAND ELEMENT AND FOR INVERTING THE SAME AS IT IS TRANSFERRED, A PRINTERFOR PRINTING ON A GLOVE ON THE SECOND HAND ELEMENT IN THE PRINTINGPOSITION, AND ACTUATING MEANS FOR SAID